The invention generally relates to computers and computer software and, in particular, to methods, systems, and computer program products for planning journeys.
Journey planners, such as flight travel planning systems, may be used to search for the best journey between a starting geographical location (i.e., an origin) and an ending geographical location (i.e., a destination) based on criteria supplied by a user. Such criteria may include distance or speed criteria, depending on whether the traveler expects the shorter journeys or quicker journeys to be returned, and may also include cost criteria if the traveler wishes to optimize the travel cost. The journey planner may determine the journeys satisfying the criteria using a database containing scheduling information related to different travel providers. Such scheduling information may include timetable information, geographic information, and price information.
Journey planners may also be configured to optimize the segmentation of proposed journeys by minimizing the number of connections in the journey and by defining a default minimum time duration for each connection (i.e., a minimum connection time or MCT). A connection connects two segments of an associated journey. Each segment of a journey may be associated with a flight, a train, a bus, a boat, or any other type of passenger-carrying vehicle that is organized according to schedule information (e.g., scheduled departure time, scheduled arrival time, etc.).
At the connection, the traveler must move from an arrival location for an initial segment of the journey to a departure location for the next segment. The arrival location may be an arrival gate for a flight in a given terminal of an airport and the departure location may be a departure gate for a subsequent flight in a different terminal of the airport. The length of the minimum connection time is generally predefined empirically to allow sufficient time for the traveler to move from the arrival location to the departure location and then check-in for the subsequent segment. The length of the minimum connection time should also be minimized to limit the total travel duration for the journey. Journey planners may thus be configured to select journey options such that the consecutive segments satisfy a minimum connection time at a connection.
The minimum connection time is a static and theoretical value that takes into account the duration separating the arrival time of the initial segment and the departure time of the subsequent segment. However, because it is static, the minimum connecting time fails to consider the possible delays that may accumulate in the initial segment of a journey. As a result, the traveler may arrive at the departure location of the subsequent segment either after the flight has departed or too late to check-in.
If the traveler misses the travel connection, then the traveler is then forced to be rerouted on another flight, train, etc. that covers the subsequent travel segment. To limit traveler complaints related to delays, travel companies have improved the way in which they communicate information related to delays and may even provide online real-time information about delays. However, these measures are only applied after the delays have already occurred.
Improved methods, systems, and computer program products are needed for planning journeys that preventatively limit the risk that a traveller will miss a connection and/or arrive late at their final destination.